Pencil box



June 8, 1965 SHOKICHI KIHARA PENCIL BOX Filed Nov. 22, 1963 ATTORNEY United States Patent 1 Claim. 61. 120-23 The present invention relates to a pencil box which, while simple in construction, provides several advantages over existing pencil boxes. Pencil boxes presently in use, for the most part, contain pencils therein in a loose manner. After several sharpenings the pencils become so short relative to the pencil box that vibrations and shaking of the box often sends the pencils against the ends of the box with considerable force. This results, often times, in breaking the lead points of the pencils. Repeated shaking of boxes containing sharpened pencils which are approximately the same length as the box in which contained can also cause damage to the lead point of the pencils. Boxes which have fold flaps at the ends are characterized in that after the flaps have been opened several times they lose their stiffness and fail to close the box properly. It is not uncommon that pencils will slip from such boxes even when such boxes are carefully handled. The present invention aims at overcoming these difliculties.

An object of the invention is to provide a box which presents to the users grasp the longitudinal ends of pencils which are held in spaced apart relationship free from any adjacent box structure.

The principal object of the invention is to store pencils in such a manner that breaking of the lead ends of the pencils will be avoided during normal handling of the pencil box.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a box which will prevent the accidental dropping of pencils from the box when the box is opened for withdrawal of a pencil.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the entire pencil box with a top attached thereto.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the box with the top removed.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the box with the top removed.

FIGURE 4 is a detailed sectional view of the plate and board which comprise part of the box.

Explaining the present invention with the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates the whole pencil box consisting of a top 6 and a container or box 1. The box comprises side wall portions and a bottom portion.

FIGURE 2 shows that the box has a hexagonal cross section. Other shaped boxes such as cylindrical and triangular types may be employed as desired. The plate or resilient pencil holding member 4 located in the upper portion of the box is illustrated in FIGURE 2. This plate has a plurality of openings therein.

Turning to FIGURE 3, a rigid board or partition 2 is fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the box 1. This board has a plurality of openings 3 therein adapted to have pencils passed therethrough into the box. The

3,187,723 Patented June 8, 1965 ice plate 4, mentioned in conjunction with FIGURE 2, is secured to the board 2 with the openings of the two member axially aligned.

FIGURE 4 illustrates this arrangement of parts 2 and 5 4 and shows the relative size of holes quite clearly. This view further shows that the relative size of the pencil is smaller than the openings 3 in the board 2 by an amount greater than twice the thickness of plate 4. The openings in plate 4 are slightly smaller than the pencil. All

10 of these dimensions are such that the rubber of plate 4 opening 3 in plate 2 as, for example, when the pencil is being thrust thereinto.

Again turning to a discussion of the plate 4, it should be noted that the plate is not constituted of hard and/or brittle rubber which would tend to fold, crack or be permanently deformed by the thrusting of pencils therethrough. On thecontrary, since board 2 provides support for the plate, various grades of soft rubber which are resilient and flexible may be used to make plate 4 and for holding the pencils in the box.

Turning to the use and operation of the box, it will be seen from the dimensions set forth above that when a pencil is thrust through the openings into the box that a portion of the rubber plate surrounding the hole will be rolled down with the pencil. Release of the pencil after it has been thrustinto the box until its point contacts the bot-tom thereof will result in the pencil being rebounded or retracted by the rolled down rubber plate adjacent the hole. The pencil will remain firmly gripped by the plate. This rebounding action will space the point of the pencil from the bottom of the box and safeguard the pencil lead. Breaking of the pencil lead by buifeting and percussion of the pencils will clearly be avoided. The rubber holding the pencil will bullet the same against movement in the box. Moreover, the pencils will not fall from the box even if the same is dropped with the top off, since they are held snugly by the elasticity of the rubber plate.

While there has been pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes in the form and details of the device may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the patent grant be limited only as indicated by the scope of the fol-lowing claim.

I claim:

A pencil box for the reception of sharpened pencils and the like, the sharpened tip points of which will be automatically protected against damage resulting from the same coming into contact with the interior walls of said pencil 1box comprising elongated side .walls, a bottom wall closing one end'of said side walls, said box being open at its top, a transverse rigid partition fixed to the .box and spaced from the bottom wall, said partition having at least one circular opening therein of a size slightly larger than a pencil to be used therewith, a resilient pencil holding member supported by said partition, said member having at least one circular opening therein concentric with the opening in said partition and being of a size slightly smaller frictionally hold the same, the material of said member t 3 v v being so selected and the size and shape of the openings in said member and partition being so constructed and arranged that a pencil thrust through the concentric openit ings is frictionally engaged by said member adjacent its opening and so that said member material adjacent its opening will be moved by said pencil in the direction in which the pencil has been thrust to retract the pencil when the same is released to space the same above the lowest position to which it has been thrust into the box.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 403 M03 Great Britain. 220,8411 8/24 Great Britain.

JEROME SCHNA-LL, Primary Examiner. LAWRENCE CHARLES, Examiner. 

